Delectable Ice Cream
by SukiAme
Summary: As July 23 rolls around, Sasuke finds himself reminiscing his sixth birthday spent with his brother. A memory filled with height complexes, desire for sweets, and a pouting six year old Sasuke.


**Disclaimer: Naruto and Co. are property of Kishimoto Misashi. I only own the plot of this fic.**

_A/N: Happy Birthday Sasuke!! .... Okay, I cracked! I_ had_ to write something for his Birthday! I'm neglecting my other fic for this when I _really_ should be working on that! Oh well. Enjoy people!_

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** Delectable Ice Cream  
By: SukiAme  
Rating: PG - Type: Oneshot  
**

A light breeze picked up and played coyly with the leaves of the peaceful summer day. The fiery sun shone high above the afternoon sky diminishing whatever clouds present and in Hidden Leaf Village, the day was blissfully calm.

Sasuke gazed under half-lidded eyes at nothing in particular as he sat against the trunk of a large Oak tree, taking shelter from the cool shade that it provided. He stretched lazily as the heat blanketed him to a strange but simple extent of comfort as he closed his eyes and evened his breathing pattern to calm any frizzled nerves.

Tired and content eyes looked up through the foliage of the tree at the sky's penetrating blue as if reawakened with a delightful time in the past. And so it was, as Sasuke presented nature with a smile before he thought, _It was just like this, on that birthday so long ago._

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"Niisan! Guess what day it is?" A six year old Sasuke asked his elder brother with a knowing and cocky grin on his face. His hands were clasped together behind him as he leaned forward and looked expectantly at Itachi who sat sharpening a _kunai_ against a worn slab of clay-like stone.

Itachi stopped his hand and looked at his younger brother, silently observing the glow on his face and the slightly puffed out chest as he stood back and straightened himself while he held his chin up in childish way of superiority. Itachi smiled when he concluded the little charade that Sasuke was trying to pull. He slipped his kunai in his pouch before he gave his full attention to Sasuke to humor the boy.

With a note of skillfully feigned ignorance, Itachi said, "I don't know, Sasuke. What day is it?"

"Guess," Sasuke demanded coyly.

Itachi smiled before he played the game, "The star festival?" 1

"No." Sasuke answered immediately.

"_Obon_?" 2 Itachi ventured again.

"Nope," Sasuke replied while shaking his head.

"New years?"

"It's not even winter!" Sasuke exclaimed appalled that his brother would get the time of the year mixed up.

"So it isn't," Itachi said whimsically, only to receive a pout from Sasuke. He laughed before he asked, "So what day is it?"

Sasuke stood erect and puffed out his chest to regain his pose again. He smirked and said proudly, "It's my birthday."

"Your birthday?" Itachi asked sounding surprised, as he stood up and looked down at Sasuke, "That's impossible, you're still a shrimp."

Sasuke scowled in annoyance before he whined childishly, "I am not! I grew!" Sasuke grabbed a hold of Itachi's hand and pulled him to their yard toward the fence. When they got to one that was particularly higher than the others, Sasuke stopped him and pointed on the marks that were cut into the wooden plank.

"See? I was only _that _tall last year!"

"Really?" Itachi said a little skeptically but the smile was still present on his face, "I don't see a difference."

Sasuke glared annoyed before he stood against the plank as he demanded for Itachi to make a new mark for this year. Sasuke's eyes looked up as he watch Itachi level a _kunai_ perpendicular to his head and easily marked the wood. As soon as the action was performed, Sasuke hopped away from the height marker and looked at the fence before he grinned arrogantly.

"See? I grew!"

"So you have," Itachi looked thoughtful before he took Sasuke's hand and lead him out of the yard and away from the house. "Let's go get you some coffee ice cream to stunt your growth."

"But I want strawberry," Sasuke piped delighted by the prospect of the creamy and frozen treat, "Coffee is yucky. Niisan, _you_ eat coffee ice cream, then I'll grow taller than you!" Sasuke's eyes sparkled while he fantasized:

> **"Hahahaha," big Sasuke laughed maniacally as he stared down at a small sized, cowering Itachi, "You take your stupid coffee ice cream Niisan! You are the SHRIMP! HAHAHAHA"**

Sasuke giggled when he stared up at his brother who looked down at him in puzzlement.

When he saw the ice cream shop, he completely forgot about the whole height issue and ran to the glass counter. Sasuke felt his tongue salivating as he stared at the variety of ice cream that they had. As soon as he spotted his beloved strawberry ice cream he look at the man behind the counter and pointed enthusiastically, "Hey, Mister! I want strawberry ice cream!"

"I'll take a vanilla." Itachi said from behind Sasuke.

The man behind the counter smiled as he scooped the ice cream for the two boys while Itachi placed the money on the counter. The ice cream man handed the cones to Itachi who in turn gave the pink hemisphere on top of the brown sugar cone to Sasuke who smiled valiantly.

"Thank you, Niisan! Thanks, Mister!" Sasuke told the two before they left the ice cream parlor.

A short skip and a few runnings steps brought Sasuke to the park, happily licking his dessert while his brother trailed behind him, watching his every move.

Because it was the middle of the day there were few people; while some children clung to their mother's skirts in preparation to throw a tantrum for a chilled popsicle on the hot day, others ran shrieking around the play structure in a game of freeze tag trying to free the friends who were frozen while at the same time, avoiding the person who was labeled "It."

Sasuke watched them while he slowly consumed his snack, savoring every lick of the treat. As if the gods hated him, a large dog ran past him with a shoe in its mouth followed by a blond boy around his own age; with unruly hair, who ran into him causing him to stumble but he didn't fall. However, the ice cream cone didn't have such luck, and in horrified silence, he watched his precious birthday ice cream fall to the paved and dirty floor.

The blonde stopped and frowned before he turned and yelled a short, "Sorry!" before he chased after the dog again.

Sasuke stared in shock before the surreal situation while the melted ice cream sunk into the ground. He looked up at Itachi who watched him with little sympathy. Sasuke lowered his head and stared at the ground.

A prickling sensation invaded his eyes as he bit his lower lip in anxiety and anger. He was beyond angry and was even falling to the point of sorrow. Sasuke shut his eyes and forced whatever they were trying to do to stop, telling himself that "Big boys don't cry; that his brother doesn't cry."

Then, a strawberry ice cream cone appeared in front of him. Sasuke's ebon eyes followed the hand on the ice cream cone and found Itachi's smiling eyes gazing at him.

"Smile, Sasuke," Itachi told him, "crying doesn't suit you."

Sasuke pouted while he grinned shyly, even a little guiltily at having been caught in such a juvenile action. "I wasn't crying," he stated as if daring Itachi to disagree. Sasuke took the already melting ice cream and began to eat under the care of Itachi's watchful eyes, while sulking in humiliation at even having _dropped_ his ice cream.

A sprint of blond caught Sasuke's attention and he realized it was the boy who knocked the ice cream out of his hands earlier. He frowned before he shouted, "Hey, you!" When the blonde turned around and stared in surprised at Sasuke before pointing at himself Sasuke continued, "Yeah; you! Watch where you're going next time, Idiot!"

The blonde's eyes widened before he scowled angrily, "Shut up, Jerk! If you don't want to be shoved over, move out of the way!"

"It was _your_ fault, you Blind Moron!"

"Don't blame _me_ for _your _reflexes, Slowpoke!"

Before Sasuke could spit another insult at the boy Itachi placed his hand on Sasuke's head and turned it around to face him. Itachi crouched before him and said, "Sasuke, I have to go now, okay?" When Sasuke didn't answer him, Itachi gave a little smirk before jerking his head toward the open park, "Just play around with the other brats; you don't do that enough." Itachi stood up and straightened his shirt, "And Happy Birthday."

Sasuke watched his brother disappear in a poof before he stared up at the sky.

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Sasuke listlessly opened his eyes as he realized that he was dreaming. He brought the back of his hand to his eyes and rubbed it to rid the sleep. He sat up and scanned his surroundings, noticing no change than from when he first settled.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto running toward him, "I've been looking all over for you!"

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked puzzled for a moment before he shook his head, "Nothing is wrong. I was trying to find you so we can go."

Sasuke frowned suspiciously before he slowly drawled, "Go where?"

"For ice cream!" Naruto exclaimed giddily while grinning like a maniac, "Sakura-chan and I figured that since it was so hot, we go and treat Kakashi-sensei for ice cream and then we can finally see what's under that mask of his!"

"Sure."

Naruto stopped his excitement as he stared at the surprisingly quick response from the usually stoic and apathetic Uchiha Sasuke. "What?" Naruto asked unsure if her heard correctly.

"I said 'sure', Dead-last. What are you, deaf?" Sasuke crossed his arms and smirked at Naruto and started to walk When he felt Naruto trailing behind him, he tossed a quick comment over his shoulder, "I wouldn't want to miss a chance to see you make an ass of yourself."

Naruto froze as he stared after Sasuke's retreating back before he ran after him, "WHAT?! Shut up, Bastard!"

"Make me!"

**::owari::**

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1 The Star Festival (aka _tanabata_) is a holiday on July 7th where people celebrate the meeting of two stars (Altair and Vega). Folklore has it that they were lovers who were forced apart by the gods. But Vega grew depressed and cried, so the gods pitied her and so once a year, they would meet.

2 Obon is a Japanese holiday in August where you celebrate the dead ancestors and invite them back into your homes for a visit.

_Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it because I had fun writing it._


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